Cognitive functions and reading speed in schoolchildren with typical development and mild mental retardation

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
T. Tikhomirova ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Reading Speed ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Mild Mental Retardation ◽  
Verbal Intelligence ◽  
Visuospatial Working Memory ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Atypical Development

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the relationship between indicators of cognitive functioning and the success in reading in groups of schoolchildren with typical development and mild mental retardation (F70.0; ICD — 10). Information processing speed, visuospatial working memory and non-verbal intelligence were considered as indicators of cognitive development. To assess the reading speed, a check was used on the technique of reading texts in accordance with the Federal State Standard of General Education. The study involved 212 schoolchildren (39% girls) enrolled in Grades 1 — 9 of (1) a public school implementing programs of a special (correctional) school of type VIII and (2) a public school. The results revealed that age-related changes in the success of reading during compulsory schooling are characterized by a nonlinear pattern in children with typical development and a linear pattern in children with mild mental retardation. The differences between schoolchildren with typical and atypical development in reading speed increase from Grades 1 to 7, and then from Grades 7 to 9 may decrease. The regression analysis confirmed the differences in the direct effects of the influence of non-verbal intelligence, information processing speed and visuospatial working memory on the reading speed. These differences in effects depend on the type of mental development and the level of schooling. Mediation analysis showed that no more than 17% of the differences in the success of reading between schoolchildren with typical and atypical development can explain by cognitive functioning.

scholarly journals The Reliability and Validity of the Action Fluency Test in Healthy College Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1175-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P Ross ◽  
Sydne O’Connor ◽  
Graham Holmes ◽  
Brittany Fuller ◽  
Megan Henrich
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Perceptual Reasoning ◽  
Fluency Test

Abstract Objective This study examined the test–retest reliability and construct validity of the Action Fluency Test (AFT) as a measure of executive functioning. Method Using a correlational design, 128 healthy college students (M Age = 19.24, SD = 2.01; M education = 13.29 years, SD = 0.81) completed the AFT, and measures of verbal and figural fluency, executive functioning and other relevant constructs (e.g., vocabulary, working memory, and attention). Results Coefficients of stability were acceptable for AFT correct words (r = .76; p < .01), but not for errors (r = .41) or perseverations (r = .14). No practice effects were observed upon repeat testing (M interval = 39.21 days). Divergent validity evidence was mixed. AFT scores were unrelated to working memory and perceptual-reasoning abilities; however, correlations with vocabulary (r = .32; p < .01) and information-processing speed (r = .30; p < .01) were greater than associations between AFT scores and executive measures. Regarding convergent validity, AFT scores correlated with other fluency tasks (r = .4 range), but correlations with measures of executive functioning were absent or small. Action and letter fluency correlated with measures of attentional control and inhibition; however, these associations were no longer significant after controlling for shared variance with information-processing speed. Conclusions Findings are consistent with previous research suggesting vocabulary and information-processing speed underlie effective fluency performance to a greater extent than executive functioning. The AFT measures unique variance not accounted for by semantic and letter fluency tasks, and therefore may be used for a variety of research and clinical purposes.

scholarly journals T1 Relaxation Times in the Cortex and Thalamus Are Associated With Working Memory and Information Processing Speed in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Thaler ◽  
Isabelle Hartramph ◽  
Jan-Patrick Stellmann ◽  
Christoph Heesen ◽  
Maxim Bester ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
T1 Mapping ◽  
Relaxation Times ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
T1 Relaxation

Background: Cortical and thalamic pathologies have been associated with cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).Objective: We aimed to quantify cortical and thalamic damage in patients with MS using a high-resolution T1 mapping technique and to evaluate the association of these changes with clinical and cognitive impairment.Methods: The study group consisted of 49 patients with mainly relapsing-remitting MS and 17 age-matched healthy controls who received 3T MRIs including a T1 mapping sequence (MP2RAGE). Mean T1 relaxation times (T1-RT) in the cortex and thalami were compared between patients with MS and healthy controls. Additionally, correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between MRI parameters and clinical and cognitive disability.Results: Patients with MS had significantly decreased normalized brain, gray matter, and white matter volumes, as well as increased T1-RT in the normal-appearing white matter, compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). Partial correlation analysis with age, sex, and disease duration as covariates revealed correlations for T1-RT in the cortex (r = −0.33, p < 0.05), and thalami (right thalamus: r = −0.37, left thalamus: r = −0.50, both p < 0.05) with working memory and information processing speed, as measured by the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test.Conclusion: T1-RT in the cortex and thalamus correlate with information processing speed in patients with MS.

Neuropsychological Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha Hansen ◽  
Stefan Lautenbacher
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
The Past ◽  
Extensive Test ◽  
Screening Procedures

Abstract. Neuropsychological deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS) are common. Over the past decades, many different procedures have been employed in diagnosing these deficits. Even though certain aspects of cognitive performance such as information processing speed and working memory may be affected more frequently than other cognitive functions, no specific deficit profile has been established in MS. This article provides an overview of the neuropsychological diagnostic procedures in MS and allows the reader to reach an informed decision on the applicability of specific procedures and the availability of study data in the context of MS. Additionally, it makes recommendations on the compilation of both screening procedures and extensive test batteries.

Decreased working memory and processing speed mediate cognitive impairment in geriatric depression

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. NEBES ◽  
M. A. BUTTERS ◽  
B. H. MULSANT ◽  
B. G. POLLOCK ◽  
M. D. ZMUDA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Geriatric Depression ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Neuropsychological Dysfunction ◽  
Depressed Patients ◽  
Processing Resources

Background. While neuropsychological dysfunction is common in geriatric depression, not all aspects of cognition are equally affected. It has been suggested that depressed patients are impaired only in tasks that make heavy demands on processing resources and that a resource decrement therefore underlies the neuropsychological decrements seen in geriatric depression. The present study examined whether processing resources in the form of working memory and information processing speed are decreased in depression and whether a decrease in these resources actually mediates neuropsychological impairment.Methods. Measures of processing resources were administered to elderly depressed patients prior to treatment and to age-matched controls. Patients whose depression remitted were retested as were the controls. Subjects also received neuropsychological tests of episodic memory and visuospatial performance.Results. Depressed patients performed significantly worse on measures of both processing speed and working memory. While performance on these measures improved in patients whose depression remitted, the amount of improvement was no greater than that seen in the controls with repeat testing. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that depression explained a significant amount of variance on the neuropsychological tasks. However, if the variance associated with processing resources was removed first, depression no longer accounted for a significant amount of neuropsychological variance.Conclusions. Processing resources are decreased in elderly depressed patients and this decrease in resources appears to mediate impairments in several areas of neuropsychological functioning including episodic memory and visuospatial performance. The resource decrement persists after remission of the depression and thus may be a trait marker of geriatric depression.

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